Indicating nozzle



Feb- 18, 1941- J. 1 HARRIS A 2,231,907

INDlcATING NOZZLE i Filed Jan. 19, 1959 Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE INDICATING NOZZLE John L. Harris, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application January 19, 1939, Serial No. 251,723

19 Claims.

This invention relates in general to tank 0r container lling devices andis particularly concerned with devices of this type which give a visualsignal when the container is iilled to the desired level.

In the filling station business, considerable diiculty has beenexperienced in the filling of automobile gasoline tanks without allowinggasoline to Overcw. This is due primarily to the design of the latermodel automobiles in which the streamlined body extends over thegasoline tank thus requiring a relatively long ller tube which runs fromthe tank to the outer wall of the body. With this arrangement, when agasoline tank is 'being lled, it it is full until gasolin ller tube.

cannot be ascertained that e appears at the top of the These ller tubesare of only a few inches in diameter so that when a filling nozzle is ina filling tube, the interior of the tube is quite dark and the gasolinecannot be seen until its level is within an inch or two of the top. Thisis too late to shut oli the flow of gasoline as the volume of the nozzlewill usually `be greater than the uniilled 4portion of the ller tube andthus even when the gasoline flow is shut 01T, the gasoline in the nozzlewill continue to flow into the lfiller tube with overflowing almostinevitable.

slow and cautious about lling a gasoline tank and in the majority ofcases the exercise of the highest degree of caution will still not avertoveriiowing.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a tank whichprovides an i or container filling device nstantaneous visual signalform ot" the indicatin Figure 2 is a View taken on line 2-2 of g nozzle;

of the flow area restrictor Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top View of the lnozzle showing the indicating portion;

Figure 4 is a sect Figure 1; and

ion taken on yline 4--4 :of

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 oi Figure `1.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, reference character l indicates a tankfilling nozzle which is especially adapted for iilling stationequipment, `5 this nozzle being formed of a curved tubular memberpreferably brass which is screw threaded at 2 for attachment to theusual control valve, a portion of which is indicated at 3. A yieldablegasket II formed of any suitable material such as 10 soit metal isprovided for preventing leakage and also for permitting screwing of thenozzle so as to permit a slot 5 in this nozzle to be face upper.- mostWhen the nozzle is screwed tightly into the valve. The slot 5 ispreferably elongated and .15 extends longitudinally of the nozzle asshown.

Located within the nozzle or tubular member I is a flow area restrictormember 6. This restrictor member is formed partially tear drop in shapeso -as to cause a minimum pressure drop 23 of the liquid flowing throughthe nozzle. This restrictor member is also provided with a tail portionl. This member covers the opening 5 and is secured to the nozzle ortubular member I by means of screws 8, rSi, and I il, a gasket II beingprovided for preventing leakage of the liquid through the slot 5. Formedwithin the restrictor member 6 and coinciding with the slot -5 is asight passage I2, this passage communicating with a suction passage I3which leads to the interior of the nozzle at a point wherein the flowarea is most restricted by the member 6. This passage I3 is preferablyinclined in the direction of flow of the stream of liquid so that liquidwill not enter the passage I2 through this passage IS, The sight passageI2 also communicates with a liquid inlet passage I4 which lextendstowards the outlet of Athe nozzle through the tail portion l, and opensinto the interior of the nozzle at a point near the center of the'nozzle and where the ow area is only slightly restricted as shown inFigure 5. The sight passage also communicates with a pilot passage I5which extends through the ytail portion 1 and to `which is attached atube `l'which extends longitudinally of the nozzle toa point adjacentthe outlet thereof, then passing through the nozzle wall so as to opento atmosphere.

The `outer .portion .of restrictor member 6 is recessed at Il asmoreclearly shown in Figure 4, `for receiving a sight glass I8. Thisglass may be sealed in a leak-proof manner to member 6 by any suitablecement, or if desired a gasket betweenzmember 6 and this sight glass maybe provided, the entire assembly being held to-` distance into thefiller tube.

gether by the screws 8, 9, and I which hold the restrictor memberagainst the nozzle wall portion. It will be noted that sight glass I8 isfiat, this causing a space to exist between the nozzle wall portion andthe glass adjacent the slot 5. AThis arrangement fully protects thesight glass I8, rendering accidental breakage thereof almost impossible.While the arrangement disclosed in the drawing is considered preferable,if desired, the sight glass may be located on the outer surface of thenozzle Wall and held in place by a slotted cover plate. In such casehowever the sight glass must be curved and would not be as wellprotected against breakage.

With the device as described above, when Ya tank is'to be filled, thenozzle is inserted well down into the tank ller tube, for instance, fouror iive inches. The flow of. liquid throughthe nozzle past therestrictor member 6 will create a zone of low pressure at this point,and due to the flow area at passage I3 being substantially morerestricted than at the passage I4, the pressure at passage I3 will beconsiderably lower than at passage I4. 'I'his will tend to cause a ow ofliquid through the inlet passage I4, the sight passage I2 and the outletpassage I3. However, as long as the liquid level in the ller tube doesnot cover the end of the pilot .tube I6, instead of this actionoccurring, air will flow through this tube and the passage I into thesight passage I2 lthereby breaking the vacuum tending to be created inpassage I3. This will prevent drawing of liquid through inlet passage I4into the sight passage I2. In other words, at this time, the resistancelto flow of air through the tube I6 will be much smaller than thepressure differential required to force liquid through inlet passage I4and consequently no liquid will iiow through this passage. In fact, dueto the inlet of this passage .I4 being located at a point in the nozzlewhere the flow area is restricted, the pressure at the inlet of thispassage will actuallybe slightly below atmospheric, this passage nowacting as an aspirator and causing air to flow from the sight passage I2through this passage, thus positively preventing any liquid from owingupwardly through this passage.

When the liquid level in the filler tube rises to within four or veinches of the top of the filler tube, it will now cover the end of thepilot tube I6 due to the nozzle being inserted this Covering of the endof pilot tube I6 by the liquid will prevent further flow of air throughthis tube and thus render the outlet or aspirator passage I3 effectiveto draw the liquid through passage I4 into the sight passage I2. Thisliquid contains a large number of small air bubbles and thus may bereadily seen. In the case of gasoline which is invariably colored, thecolor aids considerably in viewing the liquid, especially when the sidewalls of the sight passage I2 are provided with a white finish. It willbe noted that due to the inlet passage I4 being relatively short, theliquid must be lifted only a short distance before it is visible in thesight passage I2. This requires only a very slight drop in pressurewithin the sight passage and consequently, it is not necessary for thepilot tube I6 to become lled before liquid appears inthe sight passage.In fact, due to the resistance to iiow of the liquid through tube I6, apartial vacuum sufficient for causing flow of liquid through passageI4is createdA withoutappreciable rise of liquid in tube I6. Therefore,inasmuch as it is not necessary for liquid toiiow through tube I6, theflow of liquid through passage I3 into the sight passage will occur atthe instant that the liquid in the filler tube rises to cover the end oftube I6, thereby notify- 5 ing the attendant of this fact in time toshut off the flow before overflowing occurs.

It will be noted that the pilot passage I5 and the suction passage I4are separate and lead directly to the sight passage I2, and that when 10the nozzle is in working position, the pilot passage is disposed abovethe inlet passage. This arrangement prevents the pilot passage fromintercepting flow of liquid through the inlet passage, thereby causingthe liquid to appear in the sight passage the instant it starts iiowingthrough the inlet passage. It will also be noted that the sight passageI2 and the pilot passage I5 are in alignment so that the interior of thesight passage and the sight glass may be readily cleaned withoutdisassembling the device, merely by inserting a iiexible cleaning toolthrough the pilot tube I6.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that this inventionprovides a simple, 2.5 rugged, and practical device for givinginstantaneously a visual signal when the liquid level in a containerbeing filled rises to a predetermined level. While this invention is ofparticular utility in the suing station business, it is not limitedthereto and will provide satisfactory results with a large variety ofliquids. Also, while the preferred embodiment has been shown anddescribed, this is for illustrative purposes only. Inasmuch as variouschanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, it is desired to be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a device for iilling containers with liquid, in combination, aliquid discharge passage having an inlet and an outlet, means forcreating a region of relatively low pressure, a second passagecommunicating with said low pressure region creating means, said passagealso commu- VA nicating with a portion of said liquid discharge passagewherein the liquid pressure is higher than at said region of lowpressure and having a .transparent wall portion whereby liquid isWithdrawnfrom the stream of liquid flowing through '50 the liquiddischarge passage and passed adjacent said transparent wall portionwhere it may be viewed, and means for preventing ow of liquid throughsaid second passage until the liquid level .in the container beingiilled rises to la predetermined height.

2. In a device for lling containers with liquid, in combination, aliquid discharge passage having an inlet and an outlet, means forcreating a region of relatively low pressure, a second passagexcommunicating with said low pressure region creating means, said passagealso communicating with a portion of said liquid discharge passagewherein the liquid pressure is higher than at said region of lowpressure and having a trans- G5 parent wall portion whereby liquid iswithdrawn from the stream of liquid flowing through the liquid dischargepassage and passed adjacent said transparent Wall portion where it maybe viewed, and a third passage communicating with T70 said secondpassage and extending towards the outlet of said liquid dischargepassage, said third -passage opening to atmosphere, whereby' airflowthrough`said third passage prevents said low pressure creating meansfrom being effective to i draw liquid through said second passage untilliquid in the containerbeing filled prevents flow through which a streamof liquid iiows to the' container being filled, means in said liquiddischarge passage and actuated by the flow of liquid for creating aregion of relatively llow pressure, a second passage extendinglongitudinally of said liquid discharge passage and communicating withsaid low pressure creating means, said second passage communicating withthe liquid discharge passage downstream of said low pressure creatingmeans and having a transparent wall portion whereby liquid is withdrawnfrom said stream and passed adjacent said transparent wall .portionwhere it may be viewed, and means for preventing flow of liquid throughsaid second passage until the liquid level in the container being filledrises to a predetermined height. i

4. In a device for lling containers with liquid, in combination, aliquid discharge passage through which a stream of liquid flows to thecontainer being filled, means in said liquid discharge passage and4actuated by the iiow of vliquid for creating a partial vacuum, a secondpassage extending longitudinally of said' liquid discharge passage andcommunicating with said vacuum creating means, said second passagecommunicating with the liquid dischargepassage downstream of said vacuumcreating means and having a transparent wall portion whereby liquid iswithdrawn from said stream and passed adjacent said transparent wallportion where it may be viewed, land a thirdV passage extending fromsaid second passage towards the outlet end of said liquid dischargepassage, said third passage opening to atmosphere whereby air iiowthrough said third passage prevents said vacuum creating means frombeing effective to draw liquid through said second passage until liquidin the container being filled prevents flow of air through said thirdpassage.

5. A device for filling containers with liquid as recited in claim 4wherein the second and third passages join at a point adjacent thetransparent wall portion.

6; A device for filling containers with liquid as recited in claim 4wherein the second and third passages join at a point adjacent thetransparent wall portion and in which the third passage at the point ofjoining is above the secondpassage when the device is in oper-atingposition.

7. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, -atubular portion having an inlet and an outlet, said tubular portionforming a nozzle, an opening in the wall of said tubular portion at apoint spaced from the outlet thereof, an elongated flow area restrictormember located within said tubular lportion and covering said opening,said restrictor member cooperating to form a passage adjacent saidopening, a transparent member covering said passage, a second passage insaid flow restrictor member extending transverselir of said firstpassage and communieating said iirst passage with the interior of saidtubular portion at a point where the flow area is substantiallyrestricted, and a third passage extending from said rst passage throughsaid restrictor member and the interior of said tubular portion, saidthird passage extending through the side wall of said tubular portion ata point downstream `of said restrictor member.

8. In a device for filling containers with liquid,

in combination, a tubular portion having an inlet and an outlet, saidtubular portion forming a nozzle, an opening in the wall of said tubularportion at a point spaced from the outlet thereof, an elongated iiowarea restrictor member located within said tubular portion and coveringsaid opening, said restrictor member cooperating to form a passageadjacent said opening, a transparent member covering said passage, asecond passage in said iiow restrictor member extending transversely ofsaid first passage and communieating said first passage with theinterior of said tubular portion at a .point Where the flow area issubstantially restricted, a third passage extending from said firstpassage through said restrictor member and the interior of said tubularportion, said third passage extending through the side wall of saidtubular portion at a point downstream of said restrictor member, and afourth passage extending through said restrictor member from said firstpassage, said fourth passage opening into the interior of said tubularportion at a point wherein the flow area `is less restricted than atsaid second passage.

9. A device for filling containers with liquid as recited in claim 8wherein the third and fourth passages join said rst passage adjacent thetransparent member.

10. A device for filling containers with liquid as recited in claim 8wherein the first and third passages are in alignment so that said firstpassage and said transparent member may be cleaned by inserting acleaning member through said third passage.

l1. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, agenerally tubular shaped conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and sidewall means, said side wall means having an outer surface which isgenerally circular and even in crosssection, said side wall means alsoincluding a thickened portion at a substantial distance from saidoutlet, said thickened portion extending into the interior of saidconduit for reducing the iiow area for the liquid adjacent saidthickened portion for thereby providing an aspirator, a sight passageformed in the thickened portion of said side wall means, said sightpassage communicating at one end with the interior of said conduitadjacent said thickened portion, said sight passage also having atransparent wall portion adjacent the outer surface of ysaid side wallmeans,

and a passage communicating with said sight passage and extending withinand longitudinally of said conduit, said last recitedpassage extendingthrough said side wall means at a point near said outlet.

12. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, aconduit having an inlet, an outlet, and side wall means, said side wallmeans for the major portion of the length of said conduit providing apassage of generally uniform cross-section, but at a point spaced fromthe outlet of the conduit having a portion extending inwardly from oneside of said passage toward the other for thereby restricting saidpassage, the portion of the side wall means opposite said inwardlyextending portion conforming substantially in cross-section with theremainder of the side wall means for thereby causing said inwardlyextending portion to provide substantially all of the restriction ofsaid passage adjacent said inwardly extending portion, a sight passageformed in said inwardly extending portion of said side wall means, saidsight passage communicating at one end with the interior of the conduitadjacent said inwardly extending portion, said' sight passage alsohaving a transparent wall portion adjacent the outer surface of saidside wall means, 'and a passage communicating with 'said sight passageand extending within and longisaid conduit providing a passage ofgenerally uniform cross-section, but at a point spaced from the outletof thelconduit having a portion extending inwardly 'from one side ofsaid passagef'toward 'the other for thereby restricting said passage,the portion of the side wall means opposite said inwardly extendingportion conforming substantially in cross-section with the remainder ofthe side wall means for thereby causing said inwardly extending portionto provide substantially all of the restriction of said passage adjacentsaid inwardly extending porltion, an indicator chamber formed withinsaid inwardly extending portion of said side wall means, meansassociated with said indicator chamber for providing a visual signal,and a passage` extending from said indicator chamber within andlongitudinally of said conduit, said last mentioned passage extendingthrough said side wall means at a point near said outlet.

14. In a device for iilling containers with liquid, in combination, aliquid discharge passage having an inlet and an outlet, means forcreating a region of relatively low pressure, a second passagecommunicating with said low pressure region creatingmeans, said secondpassage alsov communicating with a portion of said liquid dischargepassage wherein the liquid pressure is higher than at said region of lowpressure and having a transparent Wall portion whereby `liquid iswithdrawn from the stream of liquid flowingk through the liquiddischarge passage and passed-adjacent saidV transparent Wall portionwhere it may be viewed, and means controlled |by the level of liquid inthe container being lled for controlling the flow of liquid through saidsight passage.

15. In a devicefor iilling ycontainers with liquid, in combination, aconduit having an inlet and an outlet for the liquid, means providing anindicator chamber having means associated therewith for providing avisual signal exterior of the device, means for passing liquid flowingthrough said conduit from said conduit through said indicator chamberand back throughsaid conduit, and means responsive to the level of theliquid in the container being filled by said device for controlling theiiow of liquid through said indicator chamber.

16. In a device for lling containers with liquid, in combination, aconduit having an inlet and an outlet for the liquid, means providing achamber, means for passing liquid flowing through said conduit from saidconduit through said chamber, and means responsive to the level of theliquid in the container being iilled by said device for initiating ow ofliquid through said chamber when the level rises to a predeterminedheight.

1'7. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, aconduit having an inlet and an'outlet for the liquid, means providing anindicator chamber having means associated therewith for providing avisual signal exterior of the device, means for passing liquid owingthrough said conduit from said conduit through said indicator chamberand back through said conduit, and means responsive to the level of theliquid in the container being lled by said device for initiating flow'ofliquid through said indicator chamber when the liquid level rises to apredetermined height. i

18. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, `aconduit having an inlet and outlet for-the liquid, means providing achamber, means for passing liquid owing through said conduit from saidconduit through said chamber and back to said conduit, and meansresponsive to the level of the liquid in the container being iilled bysaid device for controlling the flow of liquid through said chamber in amanner to initiate such flow when the level rises to a predeterminedheight.

19. In a device for filling containers with liquid, in combination, aconduit having an inlet, an outlet, and side wall means, said side wallmeans for the major portion of the length of said conduit beingsubstantially annular in cross-section providing a passage of generallyuniform cross-section, but at a point spaced from the outlet of theconduit having a portion extending inwardly from one side of saidpassage toward the other for thereby restricting said passage, theportion of the side wall means opposite said inwardly extending portionconforming substantially in cross-section with the remainder of the sidewall means as compared with said inwardly extending portion for therebycausing said inwardly extending portion to provide the majority of therestriction of said passage adjacent said inwardly extending portion, asight passage formed in said inwardly extending portion of said sidewall means, said sight passage communicating at one end with theinterior of the conduit adjacent said inwardly extending portion, saidsight passage also having a transparent wall portion adjacent the outersurface of said side wall means, and a passage communicating with saidsight passage and extending within and longitudinally of said conduit,said last mentioned passage extending through said side wall means at apoint near said outlet.

JOHN L. HARRIS.

